Christmas Breakfast – Buttermilk Scones

16 Dec Christmas Breakfast – Buttermilk Scones

I don’t know how my mother did it. She used to serve a homemade Swedish tea ring, fresh scones, fruit salad, scrambled eggs, sausages and hot chocolate for Christmas breakfast. We faced this gargantuan meal mere hours after gorging on a full Christmas Eve dinner, complete with a chocolate Yule log. No wonder it was hot dogs for lunch.

These days, Christmas breakfast with the Christies is more streamlined. But fresh-from-the-oven scones are always on the menu. We usually have a plain buttermilk version with loads of butter and homemade jam. I make no less than three batches for 10 people and there’s hardly a crumb left. If we ate this way all the time we’d have flat noses and curly tails.

This morning, I decided to try a cheese variation and tossed in some whisky cheddar left over from our weekend gathering. Scotch for breakfast? Not a bad way to begin the day.

Whether you like your scones sweet with jam or savory with butter, this recipe is quick and simple enough for Christmas breakfast. Just mix the dry ingredients together the night before. In the morning, cut in the butter, stir in the wet, roll and bake.

cheryl

Love scones, and I often make several batches of them in preparation for our annual New Year’s Day brunch. Because the party prep is so hectic, I always make and form the scones days earlier, freeze them on baking sheets, then transfer them to ziploc freezer bags. On New Year’s Day, I brush them with cream and pop them, still frozen, right into the hot oven. Works like a charm!

Kathe Lieber

Thanks so much for posting this, Charmian! I’m still unpacking my cookbooks (though I did find A Passion for Baking the other day – hurray!). And thanks for the lemon squares the other day. You have an unerring instinct for posting my favourite things!

Anonymous

I’m the lucky one who gets to eat these in person, and not just drool over the pictures. I dibs any cheese scones that happen to make their way to the table.Your new camera techniques create even greater hunger pangs when I read your blog.Licking my lips in anticipation.Love,Robin

Anonymous

I make these scones too, however, I use non fat plain yogurt instead of buttermilk. I don't even roll them out -just scoop from the bowl-with a large spoon or even your hands ( clean) onto a greased or parchment covered pan. The uneven tops turn a nice golden with a bit of crunch-. We always have bacon & eggs Christmas morning-the ONLY morning my husband makes breakfast. We also have homemade cinnamon knots warm from the oven and lots of coffee!

Christie's Corner

Anonymous #2, you scoop them?! Another great idea. Between Cheryl’s freezing suggestion and your no-roll method I’m sold on speeding this process up! And I’d get the uneven top I love so much. Thanks for the suggestion.